【IAA Mobility 2023】Creating a new situation Cupra DarkRebel

• ●The prototype of a virtual sports car was released in April this year, and IAA exhibited the concept car.
• ●Standard two-seater Shootingbrake sports car design, both classic and avant-garde
• ●The cockpit emphasizes the sports car atmosphere and digital technology, and is made of sustainable materials
• ●Probability of mass production: 0%

Although Cupra DarkRebel is not an electric sports car that the brand will mass-produce and launch, this car will also contain a lot of design elements that Cupra can use in the future. For this performance car badge that originally belonged to Seat, it will become the successor to Seat. New brands in the pure electric era also have extremely high symbolic significance.

Carrying a new mission in the pure electric era

Cupra may be relatively unfamiliar to many readers. In the past, this term was only a sub-name of Seat's car models. However, the subsequent brand's very active layout has made the name gradually grow. In 2018, it became a performance sub-brand. In 2020 In addition to launching the first Formetor leisure travel developed with Cupra as the core, it even played a major role in the group's first wave of pure electric layout and became one of the pure electric pioneers with Cupra Born. This shows that this brand has successfully become a leader by emphasizing sporty atmosphere and avant-garde styling. An upstart in the car industry, the brand has officially accumulated sales of 400,000 units in 2023, of which 150,000 units have been recorded in 2023 before the auto show, with a growth of 60% in the same period, and the operating profit in the first half of 2023 will be as high as 370 million euros.

Therefore, in addition to being the main show at this IAA Auto Show, DarkRebel also represents that this car will be rich in design concepts that can be applied to the future. However, the origin of this car is quite interesting. In fact, in April this year, the brand launched this car digitally and virtually, and collected 270,000 entries related to the design and assembly of DarkRebel through the online design center of CUPRA Tribe, a mobile app. Configuring data and using these data to create actual cars for exhibition are also very different from traditional concept cars led by design centers. The concept car still uses the two-door, two-seater Shootingbrake, which is a very classic shape while still retaining a highly sporty atmosphere. The body size is set at 4.5 meters in length, 2.2 meters in width, and 1.3 meters in height, and the large lift-up doors The unfolded height will reach 2.2 meters, fully demonstrating the arrogant shape and eye-catching nature of this concept sports car.

3D cockpit brings vivid virtual and real experience

DarkRebel's cabin is also completely built with a science fiction theme. A surround display platform is planned on the upper edge of the console. The center of the cabin is produced using 3D printed metal to create an exclusive driver's space. At the same time, the traditional gear lever is retained. Among them, it is made of luminous transparent materials to attract drivers to operate. In addition to the powerful performance of the vehicle, the brand has also designed various functions for it that can express the performance of the vehicle. This vehicle will have a thermal sensing system responsible for detecting the cabin temperature and adjusting the temperature through smart air conditioning. At the same time, the air can It flows out from the air holes under the front fender. A unique elastic fabric is designed in the air holes to adjust the size according to the air supply. At the same time, the backlight system will also adjust the color according to the heating or cooling of the car, allowing members to have a more visual experience.

At the same time, this car also has three situational modes: Exponential Square, Exponential Cube and Exponential Infinite. The first mode is a standard modern digital cockpit, allowing drivers to have a more humane operating experience while driving; the second mode is inspired by racing, and is designed from the integration of real racing and virtual racing games to provide real-time track Positioning, lap record and performance information display; finally, it takes passengers to Cupra’s metaverse space while waiting for charging, allowing car owners to communicate with each other in the brand community and online space, providing different life experience opportunities. These three modes will have corresponding interior and exterior, lighting and audio experiences. If these functions are gradually introduced into Cupra's actual mass-produced cars in the future, it is expected that they will also bring an interesting car experience.

Cupra Tavasacn

Tavascan is the second pure electric model launched by the brand after Born. It focuses on the current mainstream mid-size SUV segment. In line with the brand's sports positioning, it is set as a streamlined sports car SUV model. The top-level VZ version uses dual motors with 340hp. The maximum horsepower and the torque of the rear axle main motor exceeds 55 kilograms. The front motor will not operate under normal conditions and will intervene only when the system detects a need. The new motor module weighs only 60 kilograms, which can also reduce the overall load. This gives the car a maximum cruising range of 520 kilometers in the WLTP test.